The inquest into the death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock began this morning in Shah Alam, with 97 witnesses expected to be called.

Six witnesses are scheduled to be called today, including pathologists who will present their findings.

Teoh, 30, was found dead on July 16 outside Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, following interrogation for 10 hours by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which has its Selangor office on the 14th floor of the building.

The first witness, security guard Siti Zabedah Yayha, 41, testified that she saw Teoh’s body from a 19th-storey store room at about 1.30pm. It was sprawled on the fifth floor balcony of the adjacent plaza building

She then informed technician Mohd Ridzuan Samsuri about this.

Mohd Ridzuan confirmed this to the court and that there was dried blood on Teoh’s body when he went to the scene about 2pm.

The court has stood down for a 15-minute recess and the proceedings will continue with the third witness.

The proceedings began at 9.05am, after having beenpostponedon July 29 following a request from lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is representing Teoh’s family along with Sankara Nair.Government-appointed lawyer Tan Hock Chan, a former deputy public prosecutor, is assisting coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas with the inquest, which is being held at the Shah Alam Magistrate’s Court. DPP Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abas is assisting Tan.

Lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is representing the Selangor government, while Cheow Wee and Richard Wee are assigned to hold a watching brief for the Bar Council.
DNA samples provided

Gobind said today that Kajang councillor Tan Boon Wah and one Lee Wye Wing have provided their DNA sample to investigators, but that these did not match the DNA found on Teoh’s blazer and belt.

Hock Chuan had told the coroner today that 157 samples swabs have been taken from officers in Selangor MACC, police personnel, forensics personnel, cleaners, witnesses and two members of the public.

Teoh, who was political secretary to Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was a witness in the investigation into the alleged abuse of constituency development funds by several Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons. They include Ean Yong.

The government has also announcedthat a royal commission of inquiry will be set up to look into MACC’s interrogation procedures as well as the findings of the inquest.

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Inquest hears testimony from security guard
SHAH ALAM (Aug 5, 2009, The Sun): The inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock resumed at 9.10am today, with the security guard who found Teoh’s body, Siti Zabedah Yahya, being the first to testify.

Teoh, 30, was found dead on July 16 along the corridor outside the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam here, after being quizzed by the Selangor MACC pertaining to alleged abuse of state funds in the Selangor government.

The Selangor MACC’s office is located on the 14th floor of the building. – Bernama

SHAH ALAM, Aug 5 — The inquest into DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock’s death began this morning with lawyer Tan Hock Chuan, who is leading the Attorney-General’s team, disclosing that swabs from 157 people were analysed but none matched the DNA of the unknown male found on Teoh’s jacket and belt.

Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, representing the Teoh family, then asked the court to note that samples of Tan Boon Wah and Lee Wye Wing, who had earlier refused to give their DNA samples, were also not a match.

Earlier, Hock Chuan gave a list of 97 witnesses and suggested that the inquest start with 12 including three chemists and three pathologists. He also said the toxicology, criminology and DNA reports were ready.

Mohd Ridzuan was the second witness called in the inquest. — Picture by Jack Ooi

The coroner then called two witnesses — the female security guard who found Teoh’s body and a male technician from Plaza Masalam. The technician, Mohd Ridzuan Samsuri, said there were only two ways to access the fifth-floor balcony where Teoh was found — through the rooftop or a grilled window on the same floor.

He said the grille was always locked and only maintenance and security had the keys and there was a record kept of who accesses the area.

The 30-year-old political secretary was found dead on the rooftop of a five-storey building next to Plaza Masalam, where the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has its Selangor head office on the 14th floor, last July 16.

He had been taken in as a witness in a probe into alleged misuse of state funds. He was due to register his marriage to his two-month pregnant fiancee Soh Cher Wei the day he was found dead.

The Cabinet has formed a royal commission of inquiry into MACC’s investigation procedures after it was revealed that Teoh was questioned from 6pm to 3.45am the next day.